Thursday, July 9, 2009

Telephone Interview with Rafael Alegria-July 6, 2009

La Voz de los de Abajo was able to reach Rafael Alegria for a very brief telephone interview on Monday, July 6, 2009 at around 3:30 pm Chicago time.

Photo: WSTV Translation La Voz.

Alegria is a long-time campesino and agrarian reform leader. He was the head of Via Campesina’s Central American region, former national congressman and a founding member of the left party, Democratic Unification Unificacion Democratica (UD),a leader of the campesino organization, the National Center for Rural Workers (CNTC),and is an advisor to President Mel Zelaya on land reform. Alegria spoke with us from Tegucigalpa:

“All the people are mobilizing for struggle. The repression has not broken the spirit for struggle of the Honduran people”.

“On Sunday there was violent repression against the people not only in Tegucigalpa but also in many other places. In the second most important city in Honduras, San Pedro Zula, there were big protests that were terribly repressed.The repressive bodies of the government are searching for leaders of different organizations in a general witch hunt throughout the country“.

“ The repression has been terrible, but the people are continuing to protest” A general work stoppage has been called today to protest the situation and the teachers and educational workers’ participation has forced most schools to cancel classes. Later this afternoon there will also be a big protest in Tegucigalpa”.

“We need your support and help. We need solidarity and economic help to continue the resistance, and we need people living in the United States to pressure President Obama to take stronger measures against the golpista government. We need the United States to withdraw its ambassador from Honduras and to cut all the military and economic aid to make it clear that the coup does not have support from Washington D.C.”